Sharpening Yoshikane 240 SKD

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Zilberwong

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Just bought one on BST and it needs a little touch up. Its not immediately/effortlessly slicing through tomato skins as it should.

I havent really sharpened an edge this thin before so would like some guidance on angle and finishing grit. Just do standard 15ish degrees?

I have 220, 400, 500, 1k, 2k 3k and 4k stones.
 
OK sadly, no, stropping on balsa with 1 micron diamond paste didn't really improve things, so the question stands :)
 
Angle should be...whatever the knife is now. This is not an angle-changing situation.

What do you have in the way of sharpening stones? I'd be thinking 800-2000 grit for what you're after.

I think you may need to learn basic sharpening on less-exalted knives before you tackle this one.
 
Rangen said:
Angle should be...whatever the knife is now. This is not an angle-changing situation.

What do you have in the way of sharpening stones? I'd be thinking 800-2000 grit for what you're after.

I think you may need to learn basic sharpening on less-exalted knives before you tackle this one.
Click to expand...
Oh, yeah , no intention of changing much. Just a quick touch up. Thanks for the replies all, sounds like I was just overthinking this being a bit nervous about messing up an edge a bit thinner than what I am used to sharpening but the responses fall in line with what I would have done had I not asked :p

Its academic at this point but to answer your question I have 220, 400, 500, 1k, 2k 3k and 4k stones. Mostly Shapton Pro and Shapton Glass, with a couple Naniwa pro and hibikis as well.
 
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Zilberwong said:
Oh, yeah , no intention of changing much. Just a quick touch up. Thanks for the replies all, sounds like I was just overthinking this being a bit nervous about messing up an edge a bit thinner than what I am used to sharpening but the responses fall in line with what I would have done had I not asked :p

Its academic at this point but to answer your question I have 220, 400, 500, 1k, 2k 3k and 4k stones. Mostly Shapton Pro and Shapton Glass, with a couple Naniwa pro and hibikis as well.
Click to expand...
Oh. Well then the only thing you need to know that you do not know is that thin knives are no big deal to sharpen. Generally it's over before you know it.
 
M1k3 said:
Lowest angle you can consistently hold. Your 2k, 3k or 4k would be good candidates to use.
Click to expand...
A wild contrary opinion appears! Figured this case was closed but now I am curious what others think. I mean, at this point, I am no master but my hand is pretty steady. I can hold a pretty shallow angle.

Also, some of my thinking was around the fact that this is my first SKD knife (have lots of Blues, whites, and some SG2s and others) and I am unsure whats best for edge retention and toothiness with this steel or if the difference in steel is enough to even factor into the equation.
 
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SKD12(I'm assuming that's what it is?) is a pretty tough steel, so it can handle an acute angle. You could finish on any of those stones as to your preference. I would finish on a 3-4K like a 3K Chosera or similar if it was me.

The only other thing I would suggest is using fairly light pressure when you sharpen. You won't need to remove much material.
 
Redwax said:
SKD12(I'm assuming that's what it is?) is a pretty tough steel, so it can handle an acute angle. You could finish on any of those stones as to your preference. I would finish on a 3-4K like a 3K Chosera or similar if it was me.

The only other thing I would suggest is using fairly light pressure when you sharpen. You won't need to remove much material.
Click to expand...
Bought used on BST a couple days back but it appears to be the version sold at https://thecooksedge.com/collections/yoshikane-hamono/products/yoshikane-nashiji-skd-gyuto-240mm and they unsurprisingly do not specify.

That said I do think Yoshikanes are largely SKD12 and I have seen the bubinga version elsewhere noted as 12 but am never sure if the handle was installed by the retailer or manufacturer. I have seen them listed only a couple times as SKD11 and have to wonder if that's just an error on the retailer's part or if Yoshikane really does make the same knife in both 11 and 12. To add to the confusion SKD11 is generally listed as SLD so if the site only specifies "SKD" I have to imagine it's 12? Lots of assumptions and you know what happens when we assume...
 
Zilberwong said:
Its not immediately/effortlessly slicing through tomato skins as it should.
Click to expand...

Not to throw a wrench in the gears here, but sometimes difficulty with tomato skins is less about sharpness and more about toothiness. Tomato skins are slippery. A knife can sometimes struggle with tomato skins if the edge is polished to too high a grit. So depending on what's going on with your yoshi, it could be that you just want to do a normal, routine sharpening at like your 1k or 2k and then retest.

Bottom line, you'll figure out your yoshi eventually. Just do light sharpenings without removing a significant amount of material until you get it dialed in. Trial and error is fine as long as you don't go nuts with it.
 
chiffonodd said:
Not to throw a wrench in the gears here, but sometimes difficulty with tomato skins is less about sharpness and more about toothiness. Tomato skins are slippery. A knife can sometimes struggle with tomato skins if the edge is polished to too high a grit. So depending on what's going on with your yoshi, it could be that you just want to do a normal, routine sharpening at like your 1k or 2k and then retest.

Bottom line, you'll figure out your yoshi eventually. Just do light sharpenings without removing a significant amount of material until you get it dialed in. Trial and error is fine as long as you don't go nuts with it.
Click to expand...
Yes, very much this. It's gliding through carrots like they are not there so it is plenty sharp. I should have specified. I'd like it to be a bit toothier.
 
Zilberwong said:
Bought used on BST a couple days back but it appears to be the version sold at https://thecooksedge.com/collections/yoshikane-hamono/products/yoshikane-nashiji-skd-gyuto-240mm and they unsurprisingly do not specify.

That said I do think Yoshikanes are largely SKD12 and I have seen the bubinga version elsewhere noted as 12 but am never sure if the handle was installed by the retailer or manufacturer. I have seen them listed only a couple times as SKD11 and have to wonder if that's just an error on the retailer's part or if Yoshikane really does make the same knife in both 11 and 12. To add to the confusion SKD11 is generally listed as SLD so if the site only specifies "SKD" I have to imagine it's 12? Lots of assumptions and you know what happens when we assume...
Click to expand...
I’ve had a couple of the Hatsukokoro yoshi’s and even bought one from cooks edge. I’ve only ever seen them in the skd12 and not SLD.
 
myguidingmoonlight said:
A really thin blade like a Yoshi sharpens very quickly by virtue of having little material to remove at the edge. I personally wouldn't go ham on coarse stones first, just give it a couple passes on a 1k or 2k grit and see how it goes.
Click to expand...
Just noticed your Profile pic. The bestest of all knives...The Moonlight Greatsword! As a diehard caster, its always a high priority acquisition in all Fromsoft titles.
 
Zilberwong said:
Bought used on BST a couple days back but it appears to be the version sold at https://thecooksedge.com/collections/yoshikane-hamono/products/yoshikane-nashiji-skd-gyuto-240mm and they unsurprisingly do not specify.

That said I do think Yoshikanes are largely SKD12 and I have seen the bubinga version elsewhere noted as 12 but am never sure if the handle was installed by the retailer or manufacturer. I have seen them listed only a couple times as SKD11 and have to wonder if that's just an error on the retailer's part or if Yoshikane really does make the same knife in both 11 and 12. To add to the confusion SKD11 is generally listed as SLD so if the site only specifies "SKD" I have to imagine it's 12? Lots of assumptions and you know what happens when we assume...
Click to expand...
That's why it annoys me when they are not specific about steels. There's a fairly big difference between SKD12 and SKD11.
 
Zilberwong said:
A wild contrary opinion appears! Figured this case was closed but now I am curious what others think. I mean, at this point, I am no master but my hand is pretty steady. I can hold a pretty shallow angle.

Also, some of my thinking was around the fact that this is my first SKD knife (have lots of Blues, whites, and some SG2s and others) and I am unsure whats best for edge retention and toothiness with this steel or if the difference in steel is enough to even factor into the equation.
Click to expand...
What grit you finish on, it's up to your preference and what your cutting. If I was cutting lots of tomatoes, I'd use a 1k. For general use I like the 4k range.
 
Zilberwong said:
Yes, very much this. It's gliding through carrots like they are not there so it is plenty sharp. I should have specified. I'd like it to be a bit toothier.
Click to expand...

Yeah so it's probably real smooth and glassy right now. Sharpen it on that 1k and see what happens. If it becomes much better with the tomatoes but not "sharp" enough on other product, kick it up to the 2k (and so on). You'll eventually find the right balance for the steel, the type of stuff you cut, and your cutting style.

Just enjoy the experimenting because you'll learn a lot along the way too.
 
zizirex said:
Make sure you check the profile as well when you sharpen it.
I've seen so many Recurve Yoshi since people only use it on one spot.
Click to expand...
Thank you, it looks fine and according to previous owner, only used for test cuts. I think it's virtually new.
 
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Ok, here's the result after sharpening. It wasn't blazing through paper towels as it should either so I figured instead of just not being toothy enough it actually just wasn't keen enough. Since I wanted to maintain the OOB experience as much as possible before putting my own spin on things I opted to go for just a couple super light passes on a Shapton glass 4k followed by a progression of very light pressure 10-8-6-4-2-1 edge trailing stropping passes on both the 4k and the balsa strop with 1 micron diamond paste. Notice the absolute lack of downward force on the first cut. The weight of the blade only carrying it through the skin. This was not happening prior. Needless to say, Tomatoes are no longer a concern :p @pitted_soul in case you're curious.

 
I need to up my sharpening game big time. I think I have gotten too comfortable with "sharp enough". Thanks for showing me what I am missing, glad I could facilitate it. You did a great job.
 
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